It looks as if Maicer Izturis’s promising start will be for nought, as the Blue Jays announced Monday afternoon that the veteran infielder is likely headed for season-ending knee surgery.

Izturis suffered a complete tear of the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in his left knee Sunday in Baltimore when he tripped on the dugout steps before the first inning.

“I heard it pop twice,” he said after the game.

An MRI confirmed the tear on Monday. The club said Izturis will seek a second opinion before going under the knife, but the news is far from hopeful. Typical recovery time for an LCL repair is four to six months, which could mean the end of his season.

The injury is especially frustrating given that the 33-year-old Venezuelan was off to such a strong start after a terrible 2013 season. In 11 games this year, he was hitting .286 with five multi-hit games, while also showing improved defence at second base.

Last season, while sharing second-base duties with Emilio Bonifacio and also filling in at shortstop and third base, he posted a career-worst .236 batting average and .288 on-base percentage.

Izturis, who played eight seasons with the L.A./Anaheim Angels before signing a three-year, $9 million (U.S.) contract with Toronto before last season, recently admitted to the Star that he struggled to adjust to a new environment.

“Coming to a new team, new manager, new coaches, new stadium, new city . . . I don’t like to make excuses, but maybe I was a little too excited, wanted to show everybody what I can do to help the team win.”

With starting shortstop Jose Reyes still out, the Jays will likely use a combination of Ryan Goins, Jonathan Diaz and Munenori Kawasaki in the middle infield positions, at least until the weekend.

Reyes, who has been out since the first game of the season with a strained hamstring, is slated to start a minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday in Dunedin and could rejoin the big-league club as early as Friday.